The Memphis appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1886-1890, 1887-06-30

scot free, and now, say to the great
State of New York, clean your own
house, put only homes. men in office,
aud you will have no more oil bribery,
Mr.. Stickney then resd canvasser
Powell's evidence to the jury ,snd con
tiDuing, said: "We might have re-
sorled 10 the common artifce OF hAving
Mr.. Sharp's wife and daughter beside
him at tue end. We have avoided
trick and device to influence your
Judgment for we believe in the justice
OF our cause. Does Mr.. Sharp fear the
result? He has been bounded by the
whole press, without as much "a one
single sheet suggesting that he was
entitled to a fair trial. ii he was not
confident he had ample time to hee.
l demand Of you that you protect him
and see that he receives at your hands
the verdict of acquittsl to which he is
entitled" This ended Mr.. Shckney' q
audress, and on motion of Col. Fellows,
an adjournment until 2 o'clock was
had.
Col. Fellows began his address to
the jury sitter recess. He said in part ::
81 thought l should have some
arguments to overcome, but now am
deprived of even the joy Of combat.
The defense has tied my hands so far
as an attack is concerned, for no man
could attack a defenseles adversary
who came to do battle but forgot his
arms. Our friends have relied on the
weakness OF the proFecution. Let us
see what we have We must prove
to you that the aldermen were bribed
and by a corporation whose head,
heart and hand is the defendant at
the bar. Were the aldermen bribed /?
Were they corrupted? The task to
prove it is easy for me. Fullgraff, II a
tainted witness, has told his story,
and Waite has told OF the rampant
corruption, but no doubtful or tainted
evidence Is that of the defense, though
counsel and they have conceded that
the aldermen were thieves. TIE
Cslvinistic doctrine has been abused
that they we're always corrupt, that
like Topsy they were born so. l am
not here to criticise the theology of
the defense or the case; but who was
this Fullgrsf who gave this tainted
testimony? A man honored and re-.
spected up to his fall; man who
raised large family of children and
grandchildren until the tempter came
aud debauched him"
Mr.. Fellows then vigorously repealed
the charges made sgsinst the officers
of the custom house and registers
office, and continued: "Fullgraf tells
us that they were bribed and yet in
the Sodom and Gom0rrah Of the 1884
board there are two found who are
impregnsble. Blu. FullgrSf was
bribed, and what was it thai made him
a psriah2 What was it that occurred
in tast board that has driven him out
Of the respectable society Of honest
mon? There is but ono transaction,
their action on the Broadway fran
chise. This was the one subject mat
ter before them that has brought down
on them the public condemnation, has
sent some OF them scurrying across
the border and has lodged others in
Sing Sing. II they we're bribed, in
whose interest was it? Only
in that of the Broadway fran
chise. This defendant WAS master
mind of it, and it was he that
passed the bill that gave them
power to act, aud 1 think will show
you that the $500, 900 went directly to
Jacob Sharp" Mr.. Fellows then
traced the case through the Legislature
and the General Term Commission
down to the spec ial meeting of the
aldermen. The meetings at McLough-
Inns house were also gone over in de-
tail. The proposition to put up $780,
900, he said, came from Jaehne, who
was an unblushing villain. l. was he
who told them that the board had
been offered 100000 by the Broadway
surface road. Not wishing to trust the
defendant, they chose q stakeholder,
in the person of John keenan,.
Counsel dwelt on the arrangement
to issue the bonds of the Seventh
avenue road. "Hsste was required
and why?" asked Col. Fellows. "Be-
cause the money had to be raised and
ready for the aldermen, who refused
to 90 further until the money was In
the hands of keenan,, the stakeholder.
The bonds were issued for increasing
the facilities of the road and when
they had purchased twenty-five alder
men they found their facilities were
largely increased. Why the need of
raising the $500, 900 in haste in large
bills? We are left in the dark on this
by the defense"
Here Mr.. Parsons interrupted to en-
ter denial that Sharp had anything
to do with the raising OF the money or
had ever handled a dollar of it. Col.
Fellows insisted that the bend scheme
was carried out by Sharp, Foshay and
Kerr. "Well, the money was raised,
the last of il on the 4th Of August, and
the railroad committee was 10 meet on
the 9th. What has become of the
fund? 1t was raised in bills ranging
from $4,000 down to 800. This vast
fortune has disappeared as thoroughly
as if it had been cast into the fire.
There was no record of it made until
eleven months afterward, when it
was sought to be accounted for by
false entry. Why were these books
30 falsified? No word has been ut.
tered to throw light on the subject.
Sharp Gays the money was in his
hands, but tells us he has forgotten
what he did Nth it,"